MAM Kitchen

As one of Little Saigon’s countless plazas with Vietnamese restaurants and cafes, the strip mall at the intersection of Magnolia and Garden Grove Boulevard has seen a collection of oddly-named businesses cycle in and out: The Moo on one edge and TocoToco (now Black Pearl Tea House) at the other, with its neighbor Faifoo Restaurant pivoting to a new identity in summer 2025. Now known as MAM Kitchen – incorrectly listed as MAM Restaurant in some places online – the former Faifoo still has its old branding inside, but sports an updated menu that adds Vietnamese “mam” combination meals to a larger collection of central Vietnamese classics.

The one-page, double-sided “Mam Concept” menu lists four different set meal choices for $29 to $31, each with three dishes “perfect” for two people to share. No substitutions are allowed, but seven optional plates can be added individually for $6 to $12. Our small group couldn’t agree on which of the mam sets to order – each had one plate someone didn’t want to be responsible for eating alone – but those familiar with home-style Vietnamese cooking will likely embrace one or more of the options: #1 with catfish soup, claypot catfish, and garlic okra; #2 with mustard greens and pork soup, fried fish with mango salad, and shrimp/pork salad; #3 creamy purple yam and shrimp soup, coconut cream baby shrimp, and bittermelon with eggs; #4 pickled greens/tomato and beef soup, baby ribs, and a green bean, pork, and shrimp salad.

Choosing one of the mam sets is comparatively cost-effective, as the menu’s appetizers generally range from $12 to $17 each, entrees $12 to $21, and hot pots $40 to $60 depending on size and ingredients. Six pages of food choices span everything from the chả giò egg rolls and fresh cuốn spring rolls you’ll likely find at any Vietnamese restaurant here, to central Vietnamese clam salads, bánh cakes and dumplings, xôi sticky rice plates, and canh soups with fish, shellfish, or unique vegetables. One page of beverages and chè-style desserts includes inexpensive flan ($3), whole coconuts ($5), egg soda ($4.50), and other Vietnamese sodas ($4.50) in addition to canned sodas for only $2.

Without mam, budget closer to $45 or $50 on three plates, and bring cash: MAM Kitchen doesn’t take credit cards, offering Zelle transfers as their only payment option besides a wad of bills.